Episode #218 - Onvo L90 vs. Li Auto i8 Rivalry, EV Price War & VinFast’s Rise in Vietnam

In Episode 218 of China EVs & More, Tu Le and Lei Xing break down one of the most heated summers yet in China’s EV world — a season of price wars, social media battles, and momentum shifts.

We cover:

• ⚔️ Onvo L90 vs. Li Auto i8 rivalry – aggressive pricing, messy launches, and social media smear campaigns.
• 🚗 NIO’s momentum with Onvo L90 – 10,000+ monthly deliveries expected after a near-flawless launch.
• 📉 Li Auto’s missteps – i8 pricing controversy, heavy-duty truck collision stunt backlash, and slowing L-series sales.
• 🔋 EV price war fatigue – central government scrutiny, “non-price cut price cuts,” and supply chain strains.
• 🌍 VinFast’s dominance in Vietnam – how the VF5 is becoming the Grab/taxi of choice and what it means for Southeast Asia.
• ⚡ Charging networks in China vs. the West – interoperability, NIO swap stations, Li Auto superchargers, and why Xiaomi succeeds without its own network.
• 🤖 Robots & Lidar – Hesai and RoboSense pivoting from EVs to robots at the World Robot Conference.

👉 Join Tu and Lei for sharp analysis on the companies, policies, and global forces shaping the EV future.

🔑 Keywords

China EVs, China NEVs, Onvo L90, NIO, Li Auto i8, Li Auto L9, Li Auto Mega, XPeng G7, XPeng P7, Xiaomi SU7, BYD, VinFast VF5, VinFast Vietnam, EV price war China, Chinese EV market, Southeast Asia EVs, EV charging networks, NIO battery swap, Li Auto supercharging, Xiaomi EV strategy, Hesai, RoboSense, World Robot Conference, Sino Auto Insights, Tu Le, Lei Xing.

Would you like me to also create a set of timestamped YouTube chapters for Episode 218 (like I did for Ep. 220) so viewers can jump straight to the L90/i8 fight, VinFast in Vietnam, and charging wars?

Timestamp

0:00 – Welcome & intro

1:10 – A momentum-shifting summer for China’s EV market

3:00 – Li Auto i8 vs. Onvo L90 rivalry heats up

6:30 – Li Auto’s truck collision stunt & social media backlash

8:50 – Water armies explained & smear campaigns in China’s EV sector

10:30 – NIO’s Onvo L90 launch strategy & perfect execution

14:50 – L90 pricing disrupts multiple segments

18:40 – Supply chain discipline & standardization (fridges, features, SKUs)

20:30 – Lessons from Apple, Xiaomi & BYD on execution and profitability

22:30 – How long can Onvo’s momentum last?

23:40 – Li Auto i8 repricing & Pro/Max/Ultra confusion

25:00 – Emotional value in branding: frunks, memes & AR HUDs

27:30 – EV brands evolving from price to brand identity

30:00 – Launch events compared: NIO, Li Auto, XPeng P7

33:00 – Reflections from Singapore & Vietnam trip (Tu Le)

35:30 – VinFast VF5 as Vietnam’s Grab/taxi car of choice

37:00 – VinFast challenges outside Vietnam vs. BYD competition

40:30 – Why VinFast can’t replicate BYD’s scale in Vietnam

43:30 – Charging network interoperability in China vs. the West

46:30 – Why some OEMs still build proprietary charging networks

48:30 – U.S. charging infrastructure vs. China’s WeChat simplicity

49:45 – World Robot Conference recap: Hesai, RoboSense & the robot pivot

51:30 – Closing thoughts & what’s next